


What is life if not a series of chance meetings?

by Arrveolantrath



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, But can also be friendship, Canon-Typical Violence, Depends on your current glasses, Gen, Heavy Romantic Undertones, Letters, M/M, Military, Naruto's POV in letters only, POV Hatake Kakashi, Pen Pals, Pre-Relationship, Trains, War, can be read as, death mentioned, not explicit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:34:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28212474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arrveolantrath/pseuds/Arrveolantrath
Summary: Only a random meeting on the train. Only two strangers sharing a compartment. Only two destinies intertwining to the measured rattle of the metal.Isn't it strange how one coincidental meeting can lead to life-long bonds? If one is only willing to chance it.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 4
Kudos: 39





	What is life if not a series of chance meetings?

**Author's Note:**

> This is not really modern, but I hesitate to call it historical either. No specific war in mind. This is probably around late nineteenth to early twentieth century technology-wise though. I haven't really decided.

_ When both our hearts  _

_ match the rhythm of the wheels,  _

_ surely they beat in unison.  _

* * *

Kakashi silently wipes off the sweat gathering at his hairline. The August sun is getting to him. Very light breeze sways the tops of the trees and brings minute relief from the sweltering heat. The crowd moves slowly with a few exceptions like excitable children running circles around their guardians and some lucky bastards who manage to stay cheery as if impervious to the weather. Even the insects are sluggish in the heavy air. 

Thankfully, he has no luggage, bar the single travel bag on his shoulder. Everything else is unnecessary or will be handed out when he gets to the base. Showing his pass and documents to the conductor does not take long. The lady smiles and invites him in. The cool air of the tambour feels nice and Kakashi takes a moment to adjust his mask there letting his face be exposed to the damp darkness and taking a breath before walking further towards his compartment. The train is not crowded yet. This is the first stop. Kakashi suspects it will fill out more as time goes by. Four days is enough time for that. 

The air within the narrow hallway feels slightly stale and smells of food leftovers and used linen. Some train workers are opening the windows to ventilate. He will do the same when he gets to his cot. Compartment 7, seat A – the lower right cot. He puts the bag down by the wall locking it in place, opens the window as promised, and walks right back out to gad about in the shade of the trees watching the crowds. He did get there quite early and will now have at least another hour before returning aboard. He’ll spend a few days trapped inside as it is. Big, important stops will bring some diversity to the ride but they only last so long. At least he can read his book in peace.

* * *

It is the middle of the night when a shadowy silhouette stumbles in. The stop is a quick one and the train has already departed again when there is a scratching on the door followed by a loud thump and a muffled curse. A teenager nearly trips in managing to catch himself at the last moment. The door closes with a loud click after hitting the frame. Kakashi sits up on the cot since the commotion managed to rouse him from the light slumber he’d fallen into. 

The boy, for surely he cannot be older than fifteen, laughs sheepishly and scratches the back of his head. 

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s quite alright. Do you need any help with that?” There are two bags on the stranger. One is a backpack and the other appears to be a shoulder carry. It is bulky and there’s something jutting out through the fabric. The long strap is dragging on the ground - that must be the reason he tripped. 

“Oh! No thanks, I’ve got it!” 

The train lurches and the teen stumbles again. Kakashi reaches out to catch him before his temporary roommate gets a concussion. 

“Thanks,” the blonde is blushing from embarrassment. It’s an adorable look, especially with those lines on his cheeks. Kakashi idly wonders what they are. Scars? Birthmarks? “By the way, hi, I’m Naruto!”

“Kakashi.” 

The teenager beams at him and it’s bright and warm and inviting. Few people smile at strangers so sincerely.

“It’s nice to meet you, Kakashi!”

* * *

In the late morning light, Kakashi lays in bed studying his fellow passenger as he didn’t get the chance when they met. The sunbeam touches the teen’s hair making it positively glow – bright yellow and white gold. In this relaxed state, he looks even younger than he did last night. The lines on his cheeks are dark and it is now obvious that they are no scars. Kakashi does not discount tattoos just yet though. 

There is a feather floating ever closer to Naruto’s face. Kakashi watches in fascination unable to look away from the inevitable catastrophe. It lands on the blonde’s face, and Naruto twitches. The grimace only leads the feather to brush against his right nostril. The blonde snorts and raises a hand to wipe off the offending thing. It does not work. Kakashi idly notes that the feather must be sticking to his skin, the latter likely slightly wet from perspiration.

“Go ‘way,” the sleepy mumble snaps him out of the daze, and Kakashi decides he’d stared long enough. He stretches and gets up. Fumbling with the bed to put it away for the day, he is distracted by a sneeze, and Naruto shoots up like a startled rabbit. 

Kakashi smiles and pretends to be unaware of the grumbling following suspicious looks. His grin grows when the new passenger grows cross-eyed and glares at the feather he can barely see at that angle.    
  
Carefully, with poised grace he grabs the offending gift his pillow decided to share and huffs in annoyance. All elegance is ruined entirely when he immediately scratches his nose and yawns. 

“Good morning, Kakashi!” Ah, he is already chirpy. 

“Maa, sleep well Naruto?” 

The blonde peers at him in suspicion fully aware his morning misadventures were witnessed in full by the man. Kakashi smiles back, only the upper half of his face is visible over the mask. The moment stretches its existence from one second to one eternity.

“Whatever!” Naruto begins sorting his sheets as well. Kakashi leaves him to it and exits the compartment. Hopefully he can get them some tea before long. 

* * *

They spend the days in comfortable companionship. Naruto is very easy to get along with. He radiates a sense of childlike wonder and enthusiasm. 

Kakashi can’t help but smile around the teen. The boy is so innocent. Kakashi lost his own innocence long ago, and much too early. He leaves most of the talking to his cohabitant. 

It is refreshing that Naruto keeps up his upbeat tune even though his own life has no shortage of tragedies. His smile will only tremble and turn sad to match glistening, watery eyes when he talks of his godfather’s murder; or how the man who used to take care of him as a child died just as abruptly. 

No parents, no relatives, no friends. 

Naruto is alone. 

He left the suffocating town where every dog knew your private business as soon as he could. 

And now here they are. Sharing a compartment. Two strangers with different lives, destinies, dreams and goals. 

“So, where are you going now, Naruto?” Kakashi asks conversationally, curious about the boy’s destination.

“Nowhere. Everywhere. I want to explore! Rayia always said there are places I could never imagine out there. He used to travel a lot, you know. Said it was for inspiration. 

I always wanted to go out there and see what the old man was talking about!” Naruto talks with his hands a lot. He is very animated, and it can be hard not to get swept along with his exuberance and passion. 

“Any particular sites?”

“Nah, I just want to see as much as I can before I get tied down by some responsibilities or something.” 

Kakashi nods and smiles. 

“I hope you have fun on those travels then.”

“Thanks!” Naruto grins back and it is wide and open and honest and so very happy. Just before it dims a tiny fraction and then disappears. 

The blonde sighs. 

A pensive silence envelopes them for a minute or so.

Naruto sighs again, and Kakashi raises an eyebrow. He is about to prod the boy for his thoughts when the sunny teen breaks the silence himself. 

“I just wish,.. I wish I wasn’t going alone. Having someone around is so much more fun. I wish you could come with me.” Naruto laughs, and it is nervous and awkward and  _ wrong _ .

And Kakashi? He does not like the sudden awkwardness one bit. It is so easy to get used to the good and comfortable. Naruto’s freely offered companionship is exactly that, and Kakashi isn’t sure he is ready to give it up just yet. 

So in a move so uncharacteristic he surprises himself, the man offers the only form of companionship he can at the moment. 

“While I cannot follow you to the ends of the world just yet,” He pauses deliberately, and smiles when the words have the desired effect: an embarrassed blush spreads across the blonde’s face replacing the nervousness with a pout, “Why don’t you tell me about your journey in letters?”

“Huh?! You’d really do that for me?” The excited wonder hurts to see, because it is far too obvious Naruto hasn’t received an invitation to talk about his interests in a long time, if ever. 

“Why not?” 

Truly, why not? If Naruto was a spy, getting the generic address Kakashi is about to give him would be elementary. 

It’s not like they just met by coincidence. It’s not like they are complete strangers about to go their separate ways. It’s not like Kakashi has avoided letting anyone get so emotionally close to him for years. 

It simply feels like the most natural thing to do. It simply gives him a way to keep this flimsy connection to someone whose company he truly enjoys despite spending together all of two days. It simply provides a lost child with some support, and at this point Kakashi isn’t sure whether that child is Naruto - smiling at him like he is someone amazing - or himself - wishing to have that smile in his life even at the cost of his carefully-constructed isolation. 

He does not know, nor does he care. For now he gets to have that smile turned on him, and it warms him from the inside the way summer sun cannot hope to recreate. 

* * *

~~_ Dear Kakashi _ ~~

~~_ Hello _ ~~

~~_ Kakashi _ ~~

~~_ Hi _ ~~

_ Hello Kakashi, _

_ Um. I’ve never done this before. It’s silly. I’m not sure if you will even receive my letters, yet here I am writing.  _ _ I really miss your company. _ _ I hope you are in good health whether this letter reaches you or not.  _

_ I wish you could see the stars with me tonight. They are so bright and close here. I’ve been thinking a lot about them these past few days.  _

_ So, I got lost in the woods hiking up a mountain,  _ _ please don’t ask how, _ _ and ended up meeting a local tribe. It was so cool! They let me spend the night and told me stories.  _

_ In their culture the stars are paths in life that a person can choose after death. Or something like that. Basically they are like gates to a different reality. Ancestors sometimes come down from the stars and visit them, but so do different unearthly beings from the other worlds. And some of their kolpif - that’s kind of like a shaman - can sometimes visit those worlds in dreams! I bet they look awesome!  _

_ I gotta go now!  _

_ Hope we see each other again! _

_ Naruto _

_ First letter. Sent in regular mail. _

* * *

Kakashi watches the newbies spill out of the train. There are plenty. He only hopes it stays that way and very hard does  _ not _ think about why there aren’t enough people. Why he is the one to take on the training, and why they need the newbies in the first place.

He is slowly walking around and sweeping the crowd with a lazy but observant stare when his entire body freezes. A familiar blonde is staring back at him. There is recognition in those blue eyes that slowly melts into mischief – an impish gleam that taunts with secrets the unenlightened cannot hope to decipher despite his open countenance,  the little gremlin .

The young man waves exuberantly, “Hi, I’m Naruto!”

Kakashi almost rolls his eyes because he knows, of course he does, and this is the same greeting he received on the train all those years ago. The grin is too much, and Kakashi’s hand is rising in response before he realizes it. He stops before it’s too late – now is not the time, nor the place; not yet. The half aborted motion is smoothly transitioned into headband adjustment. He needed that anyway.

“Kakashi,” a small nod in acknowledgement and he is moving on to others, the soft smile quickly repressed even as the warmth in his chest makes breathing easier than it was a scant few minutes ago. 

Uzumaki.

He’d never known his last name before.

Uzumaki Naruto is going to war with him, and Kakashi does not know if it’s a blessing or a terrible curse. He is happy to see Naruto again, but the man has no desire to send his sunshine off to battle. He has no desire to send  _ any _ of them to battle. 

That choice is not his to make.

He does not go easy on them. On the contrary, he pushes them to their limits, crams in as much knowledge as their heads can take, does his best to impart whatever wisdom and experience he has with this sort of fighting. Anything to provide them with an edge over the enemy. Anything to make sure they live through the war.

* * *

Late at night when most people are in bed, they sit outside. The darkness is thick and heavy. A precursor to the coming thunderstorm. There are already flashes of lightning in the distance and the thunder rolls at the edges of the hearing range like a muted soundtrack to their life. They will have to go inside in the next couple hours if they do not wish to be caught in the downpour.

Naruto is leaning against the stone step, head turned up to the stars. He looks ethereal, almost ghostly. Kakashi closes his eyes, squeezes them shut to try and banish the image from his mind. Naruto should not  _ ever _ look ghostly. He will not allow himself to even think such morbid things lest they come to pass. 

He takes a drag of the rare cigarette – a habit he picked up after Rin went MIA for the first time. It is not often that he indulges but the smoke brings bitter comfort and watching the embers distracts him from thinking of other fading lights. 

“Will you tell me more about yourself now, Kakashi?” The blonde has always been the more talkative one. 

“Perhaps,” he allows after exhaling a cloud of smoke in the youngster’s face. Naruto’s nose scrunches up at the unexpected faceful and waves a hand in front of his face to dissipate the offending cloud. 

“Did you have to do that?” The grumble is good natured and he is still pouting rather than scowling. Just a little bit.

Kakashi hums. 

“Perhaps,” the lazy drawl finally makes Naruto scowl and huff. The blonde turns around and crosses his arms drawing into himself ever so slightly. 

"Asshole," comes the muffled mutter as Naruto hides his face to avoid coughing. 

They both laugh only a few moments later when the tension becomes too much.

* * *

_ Dear Naruto, _

_ I wish there was a way to contact you back. I do read every letter. They are locked down in my personal drawer – I hope you don’t begrudge me keeping every one of them.  _

_ It sounds amazing, that adventure of yours. Say hi to the birds from me! And for the sake of all that is holy, be careful!  _

_ My life is very bleak and boring in comparison. I hear this is about to change. For that reason I hope we don’t see each other in a while yet. Unlike yours, my upcoming adventures are likely to bring only more misery. Perhaps when it ends you can show me just how wonderful and breathtaking that mountain lake is in person.  _

~~_ Is it strange that I feel closer to you through these letters than I’ve been to anyone in a long time? _ ~~ _ No matter. It’s hardly equal when you cannot read my response.  _

_ I’ll tell you anyway on the off-chance you ever read this letter. _

_ I am an orphan as well, although I did get to know my father for the brief time we had together. He died when I was 10. It was a hard time for me. Looking back, that was likely what pushed me into military life.  _

_ I made friends at the academy. Remember how you asked about the eye? I lost my original one during our first deployment. It was not supposed to be dangerous at all, not for us.  _

_ It didn’t play out as we thought it would. There was an ambush. A stray piece of glass sliced half my face open. My best friend, Obito, sacrificed his life to save mine. He even volunteered his eye when it became clear there was no hope for him. Rin died later in the same trip. My own incompetence led to their deaths. I can only pray they are in a better place now.  _

~~_ Enough with the depressing thoughts. _ __ ~~

_ I’ve bored you to death with this pity party, haven’t I? I’ll spare you further details. May you never go through the same.  _

  
  


_ I’ll do my best to see you again someday, _

_ Kakashi _

_ Handed over personally. _

* * *

Communication lines are broken. 

It is very dangerous to pass any messages so no private letters go in or out. Official orders and necessary reports only - all in code. At this point, Kakashi does not know where Naruto is. Only vague rumours of one thing or another make their way to this base. He prays his friend is still alive. 

Naruto is brilliant. Perhaps not in the traditional sense, but he is very adaptive and flexible in addition to being a quick learner when the approach calls for practical lessons. War is a very practical setting. If you cannot do the practical part, you die. 

That brilliance coupled with the blonde’s character will lead him far.

Far into the enemy territory. 

Naruto will be in the epicenter of action if Naruto has any say about it. Kakashi fears he just might for surely his first instructor is not the only one who noticed just how much potential the young man has when it comes to leadership… 

and to battle.

* * *

_ Kakashi, _

_ I am scared. I am so scared. The medic said they’ll have to cut off my leg above the knee if the infection does not recede soon. It hurts like a bitch, Kashi! What am I going to do if I lose a leg? I won’t be able to protect anyone from a wheelchair! _

_ There are so many dead. It’s awful. We’ve run out of medication. I don’t know how much more death I can take. It’s not even the battle that kills. There is no battle to speak of most of the time. _

_ Everything hurts. Especially my leg, and I think my soul. I’d go through this ten times over if it meant they could live. But I can’t do anything dammit!  _ ~~_ …especially not from the operating table _ _. _ ~~

_~~I miss you.~~ _

_ I hope things are much better for you because they’re pretty fucking shitty over here.  _

~~_ I hope we see each other again.  _ ~~

_ Naruto _

_ Never sent. _

* * *

The next time they see each other it is only for one drawn out moment before an explosion tears through the night in a hail of fire and noise that drowns out everything else. 

Kakashi is on the train leaving the base. The injured are being taken deeper into the country where they will have a chance to recover before either resigning or being sent back into battle again. His entire side hurts and breathing is a struggle. 

The battle was taken to them in the end. An unlucky position when the building collapsed and now Kakashi is forced to watch the fighting from a compartment of the medical train that’s being stuffed with more bodies as quickly as possible. 

He notices a flash of sunshine yellow among the freshly arrived reinforcements. His attention does not wander any further. The man turns to look at the train. In the next second he is illuminated by bright fire as the gas storage is hit. 

Darkness has been creeping on his vision for a while and Kakashi’s last thought before succumbing to it is that Naruto truly looks like an avenging angel with that halo of fire.

* * *

The war is over and done with. He has only heard of the blonde adventurer after that last time. Heard of his feats and promotions and infamy with the enemy. 

They had not been able to contact each other. Not the time, not the place, and no way to pass notes most of the time. He had to rely on ardently collected rumors and hearsay to deduce the state of the boy he met on the train a lifetime ago.

He is worried though. Lately he has not heard anything of the man. Scant as those tid-bits of info were, they provided an insight. A link. Proof that Naruto was alive and well. 

He fears the worst. 

The war is over, but so many are never coming home. 

* * *

~~_ Naruto, _ ~~

~~_ Please, please be alright.  _ ~~

~~_ You have come to mean so much to me. So, so much.  _ ~~

~~_ I have not felt this way about anyone else since my best friends died back then.  _ ~~

~~_ We’ve come so far since the time you stumbled into my compartment. Remember? I can still recall your indignant look when you fought off that pesky feather in the morning.  _ ~~

~~_ Strange how one coincidental sleeping arrangement started our friendship. Those letters,  _ ~~

~~_ I would give a lot to receive one from you now.  _ ~~

~~_ Naruto, please, show me those places you used to talk about.  _ ~~

~~_ Let’s go on an adventure together.  _ ~~

~~_ Kakashi _ ~~

_ Never sent. _

* * *

“You’re alive!”

“Alive and kicking, hopefully not the bucket,” It’s a lame joke, one entirely unsuitable for a reunion like this but the quip slips out faster than he can bite it back.

Naruto blinks, processing the incongruent words, and _ laughs _ – harsh, borderline sobbing sounds involuntarily torn out of his chest. And then it’s joyful, and warm, and carefree – and everything it should be as pain and apparent tension bleed away with the tears running over those scar-like marks.

Kakashi grins behind the book unable to contain the contagious excitement radiating from his friend. Or perhaps he simply enjoys the sight of the blonde so unburdened and happy once more that much. Regardless, the smile isn’t going away and he does nothing to hide it when Naruto finally wipes away relieved tears and looks over. His mouth opens to say something, but this time Kakashi beats him to the punch line. 

“Hi, I’m Kakashi.” 

“Naruto,” He goes for serious but it comes out constipated as the blonde is obviously choking on laughter at the same time. 

Kakashi chuckles at the puffed cheeks and the joke only they share. The sound sends Naruto into a new fit of laughter as he finally lets go.

* * *

_ Sometimes it feels like life is just one wild train ride,  _

_ and I am glad I share this compartment with you. _

**Author's Note:**

> I should really be working on other WIP's, but this has been hanging out in the WIP folder for months. 
> 
> Kolpif - I made up the word. I have no idea if it actually exists in a language.   
> The tribe and all their specific beliefs mentioned are also made up. Same deal. They are, however, based on how the stars had different meanings in different cultures and how the skies in general were seen.


End file.
